1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an air bag cushion which is inflatable for restraining an automotive vehicle passenger during a collision. More particularly, the invention relates to folding an air bag cushion in a manner to control the deployment thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typically, an air bag cushion is folded and supported on the steering wheel or dashboard of a vehicle. When the air bag is to be inflated, high pressure nitrogen or other suitable gas from an inflator is caused to flow therein through a gas inlet opening or mouth that is provided. This causes the air bag to unfold and inflate.
Upon vehicle impact in a collision, top mounted air bag cushions, that is, those mounted near the top of the dashboard, tend to deploy high in the vehicle compartment and tend also to deploy with great velocity at the passenger's face. As most air bag cushions deploy, the pressure in the cushion spikes to a high pressure initially. The high pressure ejects the folded cushion out of the air bag module with great velocity. This results in the cushion slapping the face of the passenger as it unfolds. Such "slapping" of the passenger with the cushion material, particularly when the passenger is an out-of-position child, can cause skin abrasions, excessive neck extension, and increase head injury criteria values.
Thus, there is a need and a demand for reducing and/or correcting this problem so that the air bag cushion has a controlled deployment which results in reduction or elimination of "bag slap" injuries in the event of an automotive vehicle collision.